Hundreds of residents of BEML Layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru protested against the construction of a Nandini milk booth close to Balakrishna Rangamandira.
T. Raghu, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar who was part of the protest, said, “The Rangamandira was built and maintained by the BEML Layout residents and a few theatre artists in 0.75 acres land. It is the only space for residents living around this locality to come for a walk, spend time talking to friends and family members. While they have many other spaces to build a Nandini milk booth, why do they want to build this commercial space on the premises of rangamandira? We have written a letter to the Bengaluru West City Corporation Commissioner requesting him to stop the construction of milk booth.”
Mr. Raghu said, “The aim behind building this space was to help residents and their children conduct cultural activities like dance, singing, plays and more. However, a few years ago, the rangamandira was handed over to Greater Bengaluru Authority. Since then, they have failed to provide any kind of facilities at the rangamandira and the rent they charge is upto ₹15,000 per month.”
However, the GBA officials denied these claims made by the residents.
K.V. Rajendra, Commissioner, Bengaluru West City Corporation, said, “The permission to Nandini milk booth units and a HOPCOMS unit are given after inspecting the area where these units will be built. There is no restriction behind building these units in civic amenities like parks, playgrounds as they sell essential services. The idea is to ensure that these commodities are available to people close to their residences.”
Mr. Rajendra said, “In this case too, permission was given to build a booth after inspecting the area. Let the residents come with their grievances, we will look into it.”
